The approval has been granted to covaxin, ZyCov-D and Corbevax
The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved three COVID-19 vaccines for children who are aged above five years.
The health regulator has given the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) by ZyCov-D by Zydus Lifesciences, which is a two dose vaccine. It will be administered to those aged 12 years and above.
Apart from it, the DCGI has also approved Covaxin manufactured by Bharat Biotech and Corbevax by Biological E.
While Covaxin has been approved for children aged between six and 12 years, Corbevax has been approved for those who belongs to the five-to-12 year age group.
Mahima Datla, Managing Director, Biological E. Limited, said, “As many of us would be aware, the SEC had already given a positive recommendation for our vaccine’s use in the 5-12 age group. In continuation of the same, we were very happy to receive the formal approval from the DCGI making this an extremely safe and effective intervention available, particularly for the age groups 5 years onwards. This is a great opportunity to get back to some level of normalcy in our continuing fight against the prevalent pandemic situation as CORBEVAX is the first indigenous COVID-19 vaccine in the country that addresses the vaccination needs of all age groups from 5 years and above.”
Dr Krishna Ella, Chairman and Managing Director, Bharat Biotech, said, “We have established COVAXIN as an universal vaccine for adults and children. Safety of the vaccine is critical for children and we are glad to share that COVAXIN has now proven data for safety and immunogenicity in children. We have achieved our goal of developing a safe and efficacious COVID-19 vaccine for adults and children.”
Speaking on the development, Dr Sharvil Patel, Managing Director, Zydus Lifesciences said, “The approval of a two-dose regimen for ZyCoV-D is a welcome development. This will increase the compliance for the vaccine and reduce the overall time required for vaccination to improve immunity against the virus. It will also help in administering the vaccine in a larger population in a shorter time which is always desirable in the midst of a pandemic.”